


Shattered Glass

by IsisKitsune



Series: Twilight is for Sookers [10]
Category: Morbius: The Living Vampire, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath, Childhood Trauma, Gen, Repressed Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 20:39:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18724561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsisKitsune/pseuds/IsisKitsune
Summary: After two days of Tony drinking and trying to forget the night Michael had his first nightmare, he might have finally made a breakthrough





	Shattered Glass

Tony was already on his second bottle of Scotch in two days, he didn't think he'd been able to actually pass a breathalyzer since Michael had woken up screaming the other night. Not since he barely got Michael out from under his fucking bed, since he couldn't even get close enough to touch the kid, since he sat there and rocked in the darkness as far from them as he could get chanting, “I don't wanna eat nice people anymore.” His glass shattered against the wall.

“You will run out of glassware at this point, Sir.”

“Don't fucking care...”

“This is not the best way to deal with this, Sir.”

“It's the only way I got. Jarvis, the man has dozens of fucking properties, years of this. Of, that room.”

“I am aware, Sir.”

“I... I don't know how to fix this.”

“Sir, you have always adapted. Perhaps, this time, a bit of help would make that process easier?”

Michael wouldn't come out of his room, they were all starting to panic at that point, unsure what not eating would cause. “Alright, what would you suggest?”

“I hate to make the analogy in regards to a human child, but, how would one go about calming a wounded animal?”

“Presence, proven safety,” Tony snorted, “Food.”

“Perhaps, at this point, if he's aware you are there, and you are not in fact food, it will help draw him away from the trauma he is reliving?”

“I need a drink.”

“I believe it is best you not have any more.”

“Probly right.” Tony shuffled, stumbling, “Okay, definitely right.”

“Might I suggest some backup?”

“Let Bruce in on what I'mma do, in case I can't get to his room.”

“Will do, Sir.”

“Open door policy now, Jarvis, unless someone actively tells you to close it, you know the obvious required privacy doors.”

“I believe that will help a bit, Sir.”

Tony shuffled, blinking at the water bottle held out to him, “Hm? Oh, thanks.”

“You need to stay sober,” it took him a moment to actually focus on Natasha's face. “Do you think his father would have been sober that whole time? People... they don't start out as monsters, they become them. It wouldn't have started that way, it might have started this way.”

Tony gulped the water, “Right, fuck, didn't think.”

“That's the problem, thinking. Right now you just need to react but not in a self destructive way. And Never with anger toward him. Don't shut down, don't shut it out, just, stay calm during it. It will help him pull from wherever he is and toward you.”

“Okay, it's just-”

“I know. And for the love of fuck take the kid some goddamn food! He hasn't touched a thing in days.”

Tony blinked slow enough she was suddenly gone, he rubbed his eyes mumbling about fucking ninja ghosts. “Food, right, what's the kid like?”

“Sir, I would suggest something easy to process. He seems hyper aware of anything that crunches.”

“Right, yeah, okay... Sammiches?”

“That might be a good option, stay away from spices, his stomach is sensitive to them.”

“I'm too drunk to make sammiches,” he mumbled while hearing confirmation that Dr. Banner was on his way with said sandwiches. “Brucey, yer the best.”

Bruce showed up with peanut butter and jelly, “He likes grape more than strawberry.”

“Oh, didn't know that.”

“Little things can help sometimes, and he needs the extra protein right now. Hopefully we can entice him out long enough to maybe get him to eat real food.”

“Yeah,” Tony's vision was getting droopy, “Might take a nap while we're there.”

“Tony, lean on me if you sleep okay? He might... He might think you're not sleeping.”

Tony wasn't sure if he'd every been this suddenly sober when piss drunk, “Right, shit right.”

“Need some more water?”

“Probably, but don't wanna have to get up to piss.”

Bruce snickered as he frowned at the dark room, “He still hasn't turned on the lights?”

“Nope, not since... fuck, I don't even know why. He's in full control of if the lights are on.”

“They may not signify light to him right now, Tony.”

“Michael,” there was sudden movement in the darkness.

Bruce grabbed his arm, “We brought sandwiches.”

Tony was so confused until Bruce signed, “Don't say food or eat. Say what it is.”

Fuck, that's right, _don't make me eat nice people..._

Tony slumped against the door frame, “Michael, the lights won't hurt you, you're not, you're not a captive. You can leave whenever you want.” Please don't leave, please don't leave. He honestly didn't want to think what would happen if the kid chose to leave but he would let him...

“We brought peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches, I remembered you saying you like grape better because everything was flavored strawberry or cherry, and you got tired of it.”

Bruce froze when he saw nails reaching out of the darkness, fingers brushing the light before it disappeared, “See? The light won't hurt you, it's safe.”

Tony nearly broke down as he saw it happen, over and over, as if he didn't trust it, he just buried his head against Bruce's shoulder, shifting away when the scientist finally stepped inside far enough to set the tray of sandwiches just outside of the darkness, forcing the kid to either risk a full reach into the light or go hungry out of fear. “You are safe here, not even the light will hurt you here.”

Tony could actually feel tears when the kid finally got to the point he reached a shaking, unsure, hand out of the darkness, gripping the tray and dragging it back into the dark.

Bruce nudged him and brought his hands up, “Don't say eat, don't say food, say what it is.”

Tony nodded again, suddenly feeling sick, “So, Brucey makes a damn good sammich, doesn't he?” He rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat, “There's plenty more in the kitchen, if-” Bruce signed “don't say hungry”, “If you want more.”

Bruce smiled at him as he rested his head on his shoulder. Tony blinked at the hand waved in his face, “Ask if he wants water, don't say 'drink' or 'thirsty'.”

Tony was at a loss, he gave a pained laugh, signing back “Worst game of Taboo ever”. Bruce just smiled, “Doing good.”

“Got water in the kitchen, if you want some. Apple juice too. I remember you like apple juice.”

The kid stayed so quiet, it was starting to worry them, “Michael, do you want more?”

“Can-can I have something to drink?”

“Name it,” Tony said as he turned back to try to make out the movement in the dark room.

“Just... not... not people.”

Tony about lost it, but he grabbed the kid a pitcher of water, and apple juice, just in case he couldn't decide.

He was staring at Bruce, unsure how he was supposed to do this, all he got was a smile and nod. “Michael, I, brought water and apple juice, I wasn't sure which you'd want.” Bruce caught his shirt before he could step too far forward into the room, keeping him in the light of the hall. He looked so confused, Bruce's sloppy sign of “Dark and people mean feeding time” made him nearly break. “Do you, want to come out? I think Bruce likes apple juice too, can't say I'm one for it unless it's an appletini.”

Bruce roll his eyes but didn't say anything, just kept a hand on Tony's shirt to keep him from stepping up to the figure coming closer. “Jarvis, can you dim the lights? Michael's eyes are probably sensitive.”

Bruce tapped his head against the wall as he watched the lights dim down but blinked when Michael finally stepped forward, looking to be about to have a panic attack, “The lights can't hurt you, Michael. They're just so we can all see.”

“Pounding, pounding,” Michael closed his eyes, covering his ears.

Bruce waved a hand at Tony, “Calm down.”

Tony could tell when his heart rate spiked, the kid was wincing harder, before he took a deep breath, “You are safe here, free to come and go as you please. The lights here will never hurt you.”

Tony felt the pitcher lifted from his hand when his eyes closed, fearing the kid would slink back into the darkened room, but smiled when the poor kid was just chugging the water so fast he was actually worried he was going to get sick. “There's plenty of water, we can more if you want.”

Instead, Michael shifted back, away from them, mumbling, “Pounding,” as if he'd forgotten about his earphones specifically made for that reason.

Tony flailed his hands at Bruce, “How do I do this?”

“I D K”

“I have no idea what I'm doing,” Tony's hands were shaking so hard, Bruce was frowning, he probably fucked up one of the signs but he honestly didn't care.

Bruce patted his leg, “You're doing the best you can, that's all you can do.”

“Sir, it appears Michael is asleep.”

Tony jumped, clutching his chest as Jarvis' soft voice, “J, give me a heart attack.”

“I'm sorry, Sir, I just... perhaps now would be a good time to retreat and plan another attempt once he's awake?”

“Yeah, yeah, you're right.”

Bruce scratched his head as they slunk away, “My first thought is... Peter, but-”

“I'm not putting them both through this.”

“Then we need to figure out some way to get reinforcements.”

“Natasha, she, she helped me wake the fuck up earlier maybe she can help.”

 


End file.
